Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1651 Kamar-Taj Reforms

The despondency was temporary. As Laura Crawford unearthed more secrets from the library, even manuscripts annotated by the Emperor himself, she cast those pessimistic words aside. The world was far more interesting than she had imagined, and even in the face of crisis, her thirst for exploration remained strong, especially when she learned that the Emperor was currently in the Himalayas. She immediately pinpointed the location of the Bon and Tibetan Buddhist texts in the library. Clearly, her unpleasant, even unsafe, trip to Kamar-Taj had left a deep impression on her, including the eccentric sorceress, Lady Calamity.

"How exactly did Lady Calamity become like this? Does this question involve some secrets?" she asked curiously, but she immediately explained, "I've heard that scholars of the occult usually value secrets very much, so I don't know if there are some questions I should ask. You know, this might be considered rude."

"It's nothing. Lady Calamity was just an ordinary sorceress, mediocre at best. In our time, she was at most a country witch or witch doctor, occasionally uttering prophecies no one could understand. Until she found a helmet that could see into everything, and then her brain was burned out." Joan of Arc waved her hands in the air, describing the sound of a stone crashing into the water. "Omniscience isn't a good thing, Laura. The human brain can't handle that kind of knowledge. Just like too much current will blow a fuse, the human nervous system can't handle too many electrical signals. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I thought you..."

"Do you think we're primitives who only know magic and not technology, dumping bats, chicken feet, and lizard livers into cauldrons?" Jeanne laughed contemptuously. Then, she adopted her usual arrogant expression, raised her chin, and said in an extremely haughty tone, "Do you know that witches have created standardized combat mechs, even using psionic manipulation? Witches' technology is far more advanced than that of modern humans. Do you know how much knowledge they've taken from us to create everything they need? I admit their scientific improvements and inventions are important, but from sky carriers and space stations to individual psionic weapons and mech neural connection pulse lines, without the witch race, there wouldn't be thirty percent of the Immortal City's secret technological achievements… twenty percent, okay, at least that much. Ten percent, no less!"

"Then..." Laura Crawford blinked, "What about bats, chicken feet, and lizard livers?"

"That only happened in an era when biochemistry was underdeveloped!"

Laura Crawford considered for a moment, but ultimately decided against asking questions like "How did the witches perish?" After all, she still had to stay there for some time. She wouldn't embark on her next adventure until she had absorbed enough knowledge and the new archaeological expedition team was ready. The Emperor told her that in the future, she and her department wouldn't remain solely on Earth; the countless relics of countless civilizations throughout the galaxy were worthy of human exploration and excavation. The ideals of the Crawford family would guide many young people with the same curiosity and desire for exploration throughout their lives. She had even seen the initial drafts of the medals for related awards; the gold circular medal depicted on parchment featured the Crawford family crest in the center. This was undoubtedly the honor and recognition her father, Richard Crawford, had craved throughout his life, even though it wasn't a medal awarded by the British Empire, and even though many of the Crawford family's research results couldn't be made public, the Crawford family had ultimately received the honor they deserved.

The coronation ceremony was short, but impressive enough.

As a ritual to demonstrate authority, titles such as Lord of Kamar-Taj, Sorcerer Supreme, King of Midgard, King of Earth, and Lord of Mankind all require recognition from the corresponding powers. As for whether secular governments recognize them, the Emperor is currently not concerned at all. The wars he has launched on Earth are a means, not an end, of consolidating resources and power, and a large part of the related work has been delegated to Victor von Doom.

The Emperor held a scepter made of pure gold. Representatives from various factions, including the dimensional mages, the Kamar-Taj mages, and the Merlin School, swore an oath of allegiance by kissing the scepter. Afterward, the Emperor shared his ideology with everyone. This was significant for all factions. Even though the massacre at Watum's Temple and Kamar-Taj's current attempt to integrate all schools of magic on Earth had demonstrated the Emperor's inclinations, at that time the Emperor was not yet the Sorcerer Supreme and could not obtain a true endorsement from the highest authority on Earth.

Each school of thought had a different attitude toward the Emperor's new decree. The Merlin school remained indifferent to the decree because their only task was to guard Engal Castle, block all monsters emerging from it, and maintain their purity. This decree had the least impact on the Merlin school.

The mages of the dimensional rifts were quite enthusiastic about this order. Although the previous Sorcerer Supreme's gentle approach was comforting, the psionic catastrophe on Earth was still inevitable. Besides possessing vast knowledge, the mages who could travel to the dimensional rifts were all a group of people with radical views on psionicists on Earth. What the previous Sorcerer Supreme considered unstable were now staunch supporters of the Emperor's new order.

Only the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj remained silent about the order, for most of them were still reeling from the previous Sorcerer Supreme's gentle approach, only to be plunged into the icy waters of a rigid, well-regulated system of rules, meticulous management, vetting processes, and strictly confidential learning procedures. Even temple guardians like Sorcerer Hamil and Sorcerer Wu Guiyue, knowing the future policy direction in advance, felt uneasy, let alone the apprentices and deacons who had lived in Kamar-Taj for over a decade; the biggest changes had already been distributed to each of them through official documents. However, regardless of the changes, the authority of the Sorcerer Supreme and the Lord of Kamar-Taj remained absolute. Beneath the layers of authority shrouded in rituals and documents, the core power of Kamar-Taj remained violence.

This reminded some elders of sorcerer families of a war recorded in their family annals, a war waged by the previous Sorcerer Supreme within Kamar-Taj and across the entire planet. While many viewed the previous Sorcerer Supreme as a symbol of gentleness, only those who witnessed the truth knew that the title of Sorcerer Supreme represented blood and iron.

Even if the previous Sorcerer Supreme were still alive, there would be no more powerful psionicist in the world than the Emperor. No one could stop any of the Sorcerer Supreme's ideas, especially since the previous Sorcerer Supreme had already cleared all obstacles for the Emperor before his ascension to the throne, ensuring that no force could hinder the implementation of the Emperor's new policies. Now, the Emperor has initiated the massacre at Watum in order to consolidate the psionic forces of the human race. When someone tries to abandon their duties in pursuit of so-called freedom, no one can guarantee that the Emperor won't launch another, even larger-scale purge.

After the coronation ceremony, all factions left Kamar-Taj through the portal, and the colossal structure isolated in the Himalayas fell silent once more. However, this did not mean Kamar-Taj had truly fallen silent. The First Secret Service, the Sorority, and the Guardian Order officially moved into Kamar-Taj. Although many arcane mages did not express discontent, many believed this was the Emperor's attempt to sideline Kamar-Taj and consolidate all power in his own hands—and indeed, that very night, the sorcerer Hamil convened a meeting according to the Emperor's wishes, reorganizing Kamar-Taj's organizational structure. Simultaneously, representatives of many subjugated magical schools did not leave Kamar-Taj but joined the meeting—operations, education, law enforcement, research, and other departments were all restructured. In short, future operations in Kamar-Taj would no longer be fought by a large group of arcane deacons; instead, they would have a complete logistical system, intelligence planning, and even military support. From equipment to knowledge systems, everything in Kamar-Taj would be transformed.

For example, the equipment developed by the Immortal City for hunting vampires consisted of a set of extremely tactical, bulletproof, and stab-resistant lightweight armor. Shoulder armor, breastplates, and leg armor, made of high-temperature resistant and impact-resistant polymers, were mounted on a synthetic fiber called BZ-121. Weapons included laser weapons paired with an information-based tactical subsystem (including night vision devices), a longsword made of psionic alloy, and a lightweight alloy shield. The mage Hamil demonstrated the use of the psionic alloy longsword. The longsword, radiating a faint blue psionic static charge, could easily cut through the bones and steel of vampires. Although it was only a secondary product of the Immortal City's weaponry, it was sufficient for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj—everything was moving towards modernization, and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were no exception. The Emperor intended to train every combat-capable sorcerer into a knight combining technology and magic, so that even a fully trained apprentice could possess the ability to slay vampires.

In the foreseeable future, shooting, indoor CQB operations, and counterinsurgency will be mandatory courses at Kamar-Taj.

Sherlock Holmes observed the First Secret Service soldier in his gear with great interest. He had seen similar equipment before, but the power armor was more advanced and the exoskeleton system more powerful. After all, he had come here because of the vampire murders he had encountered in London, not to uncover any mysteries.

"The Immortal City will temporarily guide this course until we are on the right track."

The sorcerer Hamil removed his reading glasses with a mechanical arm. He refused the eye-modification surgery; compared to cold, bio-engineered eyes, he felt his current vision was perfectly fine. "The challenges we face in the future will become increasingly severe. Kamar-Taj must be fully prepared. Do not forget our ideals. Your presence here signifies that you have dedicated your lives to the human race. Only survival is the sole justice for humanity." He stood up, his mechanical arm clenched tightly, causing the young sorcerer below to worry about his father's blood pressure. "For humanity, for the Emperor."

(End of this chapter)